Boy, 9, has testicular tissue frozen in hope of restoring fertility in future

Nathan Crawford becomes first in UK to undergo process, having been diagnosed with brain tumour requiring treatment that risks making him infertileA nine-year-old boy with a brain tumour has become the first person in the UK to have testicular tissue frozen in the hope that he can have children later in life.Nathan Crawford has undergone radiotherapy and chemotherapy to shrink his tumour, which is inoperable, but the treatment could make him infertile. In a groundbreaking procedure, surgeons at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford have removed and frozen a wedge of testicular tissue, with the aim that it is one day re-implanted into Nathan. Continue reading...

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ConclusionsPerinatal and early-life risk factors, and specifically indicators of brain trauma, exposure to toxic agents and immune system maturation, might be involved in the pathogenesis of childhood brain tumors. Larger studies should aim to replicate our findings and examine associations with tumor subtypes.

Phosphoinositide-specific phospholipases C (PI-PLCs) are involved in signaling pathways related to critical cellular functions, such as cell cycle regulation, cell differentiation, and gene expression. Nuclear PI-PLCs have been studied as key enzymes, molecular targets, and clinical prognostic/diagnostic factors in many physiopathologic processes. Here, we summarize the main studies about nuclear PI-PLCs, specifically, the imbalance of isozymes such as PI-PLCβ1 and PI-PLC, in cerebral, hematologic, neuromuscular, and fertility disorders. PI-PLCβ1 and PI-PLC1 affect epilepsy, depression, and bipolar disorder. In t...

AbstractChemotherapy-induced gonadal dysfunction resulting in transient or persistent infertility depends on the type of drugs and cumulative dose, and it is an important long-term complication, especially for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients. Due to its importance, a clinical practice guideline for fertility preservation in childhood and AYA cancer patients was published by the Japan Society of Clinical Oncology (JSCO) in 2017. Although the precise mechanisms remain unclear, several studies reported that the cancer itself, not the cancer treatment, adversely affected semen quality. It is reported that that...

Authors: Tosoni A, Balestrini D, Brandes AA
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Fertility impairment due to treatments is a major concern for adolescents and young adult patients who survived cancer. Areas covered: Chemotherapy may determine a detrimental effect on ovary function, leading to infertility, and premature ovarian failure. Embryo and oocyte cryopreservation is a standard strategy for fertility preservation; other strategies, such as gonadal tissue cryopreservation and the use of gonadotropin -releasing hormone agonist, are still considered experimental. There are few data available regarding the effect of pregnancy ...

I’ve written several times over the years about the overblown claims of harm attributed, largely—but not exclusively—by cranks, to cell phone radiation. It’s been claimed that radiation from cell phones can cause brain tumors (there’s no convincing evidence that this is true), breast cancer (the evidence for these claims is so incredibly flimsy—and featured by…

Authors: Auriemma RS, Grasso LF, Pivonello R, Colao A
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Prolactinomas are the most common hormone-secreting pituitary tumors, accounting for approximately 40% of all pituitary tumors. Infertility, gonadal and sexual dysfunction are usually the most relevant clinical features in both sexes. Area covered: This review focuses on safety and tolerability of therapeutic approaches for prolactinomas. Complications from trans-sphenoidal surgery vary depending on tumor size, and mortality rate ranges 0.6%-31% for patients with microprolactinomas and macroprolactinoms, respectively. More than 50% of pati...

Nathan Crawford becomes first in UK to undergo process, having been diagnosed with brain tumour requiring treatment that risks making him infertileA nine-year-old boy with a brain tumour has become the first person in the UK to have testicular tissue frozen in the hope that he can have children later in life.Nathan Crawford has undergone radiotherapy and chemotherapy to shrink his tumour, which is inoperable, but the treatment could make him infertile. In a groundbreaking procedure, surgeons at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford have removed and frozen a wedge of testicular tissue, with the aim that it is one day re-imp...